A fat drop of water splashed on Cragfall's nose. He snorted, pawing at his muzzle irritably. It was raining…again, just as it had been raining the past few sunrises. He didn't mind a damp pelt as much as the other warriors, but this was getting irritating.

"I don't think there'll be any twolegs here anytime soon in this weather," Bramblenose meowed from up ahead.

"It's still a bit early for them," Stumpytail replied, staring up into an oak tree for any signs of prey.

"How many of them come in Greenleaf?" Mousepaw asked Bramblenose.

"It varies," her mentor said. "But its always enough to make us wary on this side of the territory."

Mousepaw's eyes darted around, as if she expected a twoleg to pop up from behind every tree.

"Don't worry," Cragfall said, padding over to her. "Shadowclan gets the worst of it, since their territory covers the twolegs' favourite clearing."

"He's right," Bramblenose meowed. "No point thinking about it anyhow, they won't be a problem for another few moons. Just focus on the hunt." He bent down and gently shoved the frightful Mousepaw onwards.

Cragfall stayed at the rear, keeping a look out for both prey and danger. The bear may have been killed, but somehow its threatening presence continued to loom over the forest. The warriors were wary, the apprentices fearful, and the elders whispered that the forest was no longer safe. Cragfall tried to avoid such dark thoughts himself, but this nonstop rain wasn't helping his spirits.

A falling leaf danced before his muzzle, and he craned his head to gaze up into a large oak tree, where a young squirrel was sheltering.

"Smart little thing, isn't he?" Stumpytail meowed at his side, looking up at the squirrel. "Think we could catch him by surprise?"

Cragfall shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. Before we'd get within reach he'd be jumping onto another tree."

Stumpytail sighed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say the prey is getting too smart for us."

"Then we'll just have to step up our game," Cragfall replied.

The older warrior chuckled. "Always so optimistic. Just wait until your old and bitter like us senior warriors, and you lose some of that boundless energy."

"You underestimate yourself, Stumpytail," Cragfall said.

Before the older warrior could respond, the undergrowth behind them rustled and Shardfoot appeared. His white fur was sticking on end, and worry was welling in his sharp eyes. "Have you seen Rainshine?" he demanded. "We had a bit of a spat and she ran out of camp."

Stumpytail's eyes widened in surprise. Thunderclan's newest couple was usually sickly sweet, and both of their dispositions were calm enough that neither antagonized the other. "What were you fighting about?" the brown warrior asked as the rest of the patrol padded back to listen.

Shardfoot shuffled his paws on the muddy earth, avoiding their eyes. "She wanted to stretch her legs and go for a run along the lake, but she could go into labour at any moment, and I told her its irresponsible to be so far from camp."

Rainshine was two moons into her first pregnancy, and showed signs of impending labour. Cragfall didn't see the problem with Shardfoot's mentality, but Stumpytail shook his head with a sigh. "From my experience with Treeshade, queens and medicine cats are always right. Us toms just have to do what we can to keep them comfortable and happy."

Shardfoot blinked fretfully. "I don't care about the fight anymore, I just want to find her. The territories are too dangerous these days for a queen to wander around by herself."

Bramblenose snorted. "Enough with the mouse-fear everyone! The bear is dead and buried, Thunderclan is safe."

Mousepaw and Shardfoot didn't seem convinced, proving to Cragfall that even Thunderclan's warriors were doubting the security of their lakeside home. A flash of light illuminated the forest briefly, causing the patrol to gaze up at the darkening sky as ominous thunder rumbled. They then had to bow their heads as the rain suddenly increased in intensity, soaking the cats through.

"Rainshine!" Shardfoot cried above the torrent, shoving through the rest of the cats and pelting in the direction of the lake. They barely exchanged a glance before they followed him at a slower pace. It was like running through the lake itself, the curtain of rain weighing them down, flooding their eyes and slipping up their paws. With a squeak Mousepaw slid this way and that along the undergrowth, her muddy, unsheathed claws scrabbling to make purchase. Cragfall paused to steady her.

"Slow down and it'll be easier to run," he mewed, keeping pace with her as the other warriors charged ahead. Cragfall almost rolled his eyes at Bramblenose's insensitivity towards his apprentice's short legs, but then he realized that the warrior was likely too concerned for Rainshine to realize.

The forest flashed and roared as they made their way towards the lake. Up ahead, they could hear the echo of Shardfoot shouting his mate's name. Suddenly he quieted, and Cragfall and Mousepaw picked up their pace. They could see the rest of the warriors through the tree line before they erupted behind a fern bush. Bramblenose, Stumpytail and Shardfoot were crowding around silver-pelted Rainshine, who was splayed out on her side, her swollen belly heaving up and down as she breathed. Cragfall watched as her belly suddenly rippled this way and that beneath the soaked fur.

Bramblenose looked up at their arrival, eyes hard as flint. "She's going into labour. Cragfall, I need you to run back to camp as fast as you can to fetch Dawnsayer—"

Mousepaw's shriek cut the gray warrior off, and Cragfall whipped around to see her cowering away from two large canine creatures. Their red fur bristled like pointed sticks, and their fangs flickered in the lightening.

"Foxes!" Shardfoot snarled, standing over Rainshine protectively. The young queen jerked her head up at the sound of his voice, eyes widening in horror at the sight of the two hungry beasts. Her belly convulsed violently and she closed her eyes on a groan, shivering in the storm. It was clear that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Cragfall, Bramblenose and Stumpytail jumped forward, confronting the foxes and blocking them from Rainshine's sight. "Change of plans," Bramblenose yowled over the storm. "Mousepaw, run to fetch Dawnsayer. We'll take care of these craven dogs!"

Mousepaw nodded fearfully, her eyes never leaving the foxes until she was back into the forest. Cragfall turned his attention to the two hunters standing before him. His blood boiled at the sight of them, memories of his lost sisters appearing once again in his mind. Yet now he wasn't so sure that a fox killed them at all. But whatever happened that night far back in his kithood didn't matter. Foxes were a dangerous threat, especially to kits, and Thunderclan wasn't about to lose these ones before they took their first breath.

The foxes appraised them warily, hungry eyes straining to see the defenseless queen behind them. One lunged forward in their direction, testing the resolve of her protectors, but they didn't budge.

We are not the likes of you cowards! Cragfall thought viciously.

The foxes exchanged yellow glares, as if they knew that these cats would fight tooth and claw. As one, they suddenly attacked. One foolishly attempted to charge through Shardfoot, but the white tom clawed at its face, hooking his claws into its shoulder to hold on. The other went straight for Cragfall, the smallest of them. For a heartbeat he was frozen with fear, but when the fox was upon him, he jumped sideways. The fox scrambled to turn hard enough to grab his tail, but he jerked it out of reach, dodging its snapping teeth like a fish before running his claws through its side.

The fox yelped in response to the wound, and before it could recover, Stumpytail was on its other side, burying his teeth into its haunch. With a snarl the creature flailed, twisting to grab Stumpytail's scruff and jerking its head back and forth. The brown warrior cried out, releasing his hold to be tossed a few tail lengths away.

With a yowl, Cragfall took a flying leap, sailing over and landing on the fox's back, digging his claws in for grip on the slippery fur. The creature bucked wildly to dislodge him, but Cragfall held on and began to bite and nip. Stumpytail joined the fight again, adding his weight to the fox's neck. But it didn't want to go down that easily, and it shook itself violently. Cragfall was unprepared for the renewed energy and clumsily slid off its side. With a bark of triumph, the fox bent and buried its teeth in his shoulder. It burned with pain and he cried out, flailing his body to get away. Stumpytail went to his side, barreling into the fox hard enough for it to stumble sideways, giving Cragfall time to drag himself away.

Mousepaw, where are you? He thought desperately as he lay panting, the rain running red with his blood. Sounds of continued fighting roused him to lift his head, which was pounding with exhaustion. One fox was gone, but the other—the one that bit Cragfall—was still fighting its way towards Rainshine, who was now in the midst of contractions. She wailed, her voice drowning in the sound of the storm.

Cragfall stumbled to his paws, and he resolutely returned to the fighting. But there was no need. Three on one was too much for the fox, and it seemed to realize that as they narrowed in on it. With one parting glance back at Rainshine, it slinked its way back towards Shadowclan territory, where its companion had fled.

"Won't we have a fun tale to tell Littlestar at the Gathering," Bramblenose joked tiredly. Shardfoot spared no time running to his mate's side. Stumpytail accompanied him while Cragfall collapsed a respectful distance away. He began to gently run his tongue over his wounds as Bramblenose padded up and sniffed at his shoulder.

"This is a bad one," he remarked.

Before Cragfall could respond, Mousepaw sprang into view, with Dawnsayer and Rosepaw hurrying past the trees behind her. The medicine cats pelted to Rainshine's side, gently helping her give birth in the open storm.

ALLEGIANCES THUNDERCLAN

Leader: Stormstar—White she-cat with silver markings and green eyes

Deputy: Icetalon—black she-cat with white front paws and a scar along her muzzle

Medicine Cat: Dawnsayer—very light ginger she-cat with white markings on her face and amber eyes

Apprentice, Rosepaw

Warriors: (toms and she-cats without kits)

Bramblenose—Light gray tom with black stripes and twin scars on his nose, brother of Stormstar

Apprentice, Mousepaw

Tawnystorm—red tabby tom with a white muzzle, chest, belly and paws

Apprentice, Fuzzypaw

Cragfall—dark gray tom with a white chest and tail tip, has green eyes

Wildpath—glossy black she-cat with amber eyes

Tigerfur—large dark brown tabby tom with a torn ear

Stumpytail—plump brown tom with blue eyes and a short tail, brother of Tigerfur

Shardfoot—skinny white tom with sooty gray feet and similarly coloured eyes

Runningheart—tortoiseshell-and-white tom with green eyes

Apprentice, Bristlepaw

Treeshade—sturdy brown she-cat with black flecks, a black stripe from the top of her head to the tip of her tail, black paws, green eyes, mate of Stumpytail

Apprentices: (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Mousepaw—small gray-brown she-cat with a thin tail

Fuzzypaw—thick-furred she-cat with dappled, cream-coloured fur

Bristlepaw—brown tom with short spiked fur and blue eyes

Rosepaw—small cream-coloured she-cat with a brown drop on her forehead and green eyes

Queens: (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Rainshine—light silver she-cat with dappled, darker markings and blue eyes, mate of Shardfoot

Spottedfire—Thick-furred ginger she-cat with white spots

Kits: (less than six moons old, living in the nursery)

none

Elders: (Former warriors and queens now retired)

Padfoot—dark-streaked golden she-cat with white rings around her paws

Sharpclaw—large battle-scarred black-and-white tom with blue eyes

Ancestors: (descendant of known clan cat)

Tawnystorm, Wildpath, Shardfoot, Cragfall, Stormstar, Treeshade, Bramblenose, Bristlepaw, Rosepaw